Arnavut ciğeri
Arnavut ciğeri is a Turkish dish made of oil fried lamb or veal liver cubes seasoned with hot pepper served traditionally with onion and parsley.Etymology
The word Arnavut is part of a dish in İstanbul cuisine known as Arnavut ciğeri.History
The origins of Arnavut ciğeri lie in the fifteenth century and the aftermath of wars in what became the Ottoman Balkans and the immigration of Albanians to the Istanbul region. People traveling from the Balkans to Ottoman Anatolia imparted their influences on the area such as Albanians who became employed as mobile sellers of raw liver. In the late 17th century, Albanians were noted by Ottoman traveler Evliya Çelebi as being butchers in İstanbul originating from Ohrid, Korçë and Hurupişte selling lamb meat cuts like liver, heart and kidneys. The dish Arnavut ciğeri became part of Turkish cuisine during the Ottoman period, when Ottomans assimilated culinary traditions from peoples they encountered and merged them with their own cuisine, cooking practices and customs.
